A Single Rose
by Bellefish2000
Summary: A demon haunts him in the night, A demon of his dearly departed wife. Warning: this story is dark, there are major character deaths. This is a fic I wrote for a Valentine's Day challenge, for the Harry and Ginny sub, Thank you Dusk for your help I clearly do not own these characters and such, Rowling does.


Every night, Harry Potter would close his eyes dream of his loving wife, Ginny. Every night he longed for her touch, the feel of her, the sweet smell of her hair, the sensation of her lips on his own. His dreams of her were full of happiness and love, as if she were with him again. Every night, those beautiful dreams would fade into nightmares- nightmares that sometimes crept up into his daydreams. They felt so real, he could feel her touch him, but it wasn't exactly her. The woman that came to him was a demon of sorts, she was angry, and she was cold. Her brown eyes had no semblance of the warm and compassionate Ginny he knew, but she looked exactly like her. The tomato red hair, the splatter of freckles across her nose, sat upon a bloated, pale and bruised face She never really said more than a few words at a time, mostly mumbled under her breath. Every night, she would come to him, decaying and decrepit, and she would scream shrilly into his face with deep-seated anger. Harry would wake every night wishing he could die, shaky and sweaty in his bed sheets.

He recalled the first night she came to could distinctly remember the sweet flowery scent of Ginny on the Hogwarts quidditch pitch turning into a putrid smell of rotting flesh. It was a memory of the first time Harry had ever called her Gin, thinking she would be mad about it.

"Harry?! Wait up, will you?" Ginny's voice boomed from across the quidditch pitch.

Harry had stopped to watch her as she strolled towards him, covered in mud from head to toe, smiling and holding a quaffle under her arm. He grinned at the sight of her. The sweet smell of her overcame his senses as she walked closer.

"I figured you would meet up with Dean," Harry told her, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Naw." Ginny told him, throwing him the quaffle. "He's… you know…" She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders, and looked away from him.

Harry had sensed that something was off with her that day. She'd still played well, but she hadn't joked about as usual. He had heard she and Dean were starting to fight more, but he hadn't dared ask about that. He hadn't wanted her to get suspicious. "Come on, Gin…" Harry'd stopped short of his sentence.

She'd abruptly turned to him, cocking her head to the side, furrowing her brow. "What did you just call me?" she'd asked him.

"Sorry Ginny, I… I didn't mean, I stepped out of line. It won't happen again." Harry'd told her, shaking his head and turning away, embarrassed. "Err … I uh… he..." Harry'd nervously turned towards her again, almost expecting her to have her hands folded in front of her, questioning him with a simple look. Instead, he'd noticed her smiling at him, her long red hair blowing in the wind, causing the sweet smell of it to rise above the evening dew.

Harry'd closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. She smelled like- _decaying flesh!?_ Harry's eyes flew open. Looking directly at her, he'd found himself face-to-face with a demon of sorts, one who looked just like Ginny. Her eyes bore into to Harry, her face full of vengeance. There was a level of hatred there, one Harry had never seen from her before.

Harry had found himself shrouded in darkness, like his home had been taken over by dementors. He could see nothing except for her pale, decaying face. He'd pressed himself further into the bed sheets, trying to get away. Ginny felt and looked so real to him, as if it were actually her there, inching closer and closer to him. She was inches from his face when she opened her mouth and released a demonic wail before disappearing into the night.

The sun started to rise as Harry found his way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. His daughter Lily was coming to see him today. She needed some comfort, he supposed, for her upcoming divorce. Oh, he remembered how happy Lily had been when she'd married Andrew. Harry'd had the simple task of walking her down the aisle.

That day, Ginny had been bustling about, trying to deal with the last-minute preparations of her daughter's wedding. Harry's eyes followed her dizzying pace around the room. "Is there anything I could help you with?"

"It's ok dear, I think you have done enough," Ginny'd said looking over at her husband, who was leaning against the bar. As the guests began to arrive, Ginny had tasked Luna to direct them to their seats so she could sit for a minute. She'd moved to where Harry was standing by the bar and looked out into the ballroom. Ginny had it set up so it would be easy to change the layout from wedding to reception in a matter of minutes. She'd taken a deep breath slumped onto the stool next to Harry before taking the drink he was offering.

The ceremony had gone off without a hitch, Lily had shared a dance with her husband Andrew before dancing with her father. Harry had never been one for dancing, but it was his daughter's wedding, after all. He'd taken her in his arms, beaming at her. He remembered thinking how beautiful she'd looked in her wedding dress, reminding him of the day him and Ginny were married. As soon as the song had ended, Lily kissed him on the cheek and found her way to her new husband. Harry'd watched her go with a sad-yet-happy smile on his face.

"May I have this dance?" Ginny asked from behind him. Harry'd grabbed Ginny's hand and twirled her to him. "I thought you couldn't dance, Mr. Potter." Ginny'd nudged her husband playfully before allowing him to take her in his arms.

"I don't really, I learned a few steps," he told her, leaning in to nuzzle her nose with his own and kissing her on the lips. "For you. I know how you love to dance." He pulled her closer to him. Ginny had felt warm in his arms, a radiant smile on her face as she'd looked at him, her eyes full of love.

Harry'd spun her out on the dance floor, but when he'd gone to pull her back, Ginny had frozen on the spot, her back to him. A spot light had been cast onto them and Harry and Ginny appeared to be the only two on the dance floor. Harry'd looked about, and suddenly, no one was anywhere to be seen...it was as if everyone had up and left.

"Ginny?" Harry walked towards her. Her Hands were in her hair ,and Harry could hear her sobbing as she pulled out clumps. "Love, are you ok?" As Harry had approached her slowly, Ginny had stopped pulling her hair out. Her hands began to shake violently as she tried to pull them away from her head. Harry's heart was pounding dangerously in his chest, his breath caught in his throat. He heard her mumbling to herself. "What?" he'd asked as he'd reached out to touch her.

Ginny had spun on her heels. "YOU WEREN'T THERE!" she'd shrieked, gobs of dark blood spewing from her mouth and eyes. Harry could see the bald patches on her head. Ginny'd shaken her head, pushing her hands between her thighs, pulling her hands up to reveal even more blood. "YOU WEREN'T THERE, WERE YOU?!" she'd sobbed. "HARRY, HARRY…"

"Daddy… Daddy!?"

Harry took a deep breath. He was visibly shaken, and his daughter, Lily, was standing in the kitchen in front of him. "Hey Blossom, when did you get here?" He smiled at her.

Lily looked concerned. She held a deep level of sadness in her eyes as she looked at her father. "Daddy, are you ok? You haven't been alright since Mummy died."

"I am fine, I can still take care of myself." Harry assured her. He grabbed for his cup of coffee, noticing that his hands were still shaking.

"Daddy, you're not sleeping well. Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione say you don't leave the house much. You're exhausted." Lily scrunched her face, trying not to cry. "Daddy, I don't think you should stay here alone. Let me come live with you again."

Harry sighed. "I don't know about that. It's probably best you didn't. Anyways, what's going on with you, Blossom? Are you needing anything?" he asked, wincing a bit at the look on Lily's face. . He sighed, lowering his head. "I am sorry."

Lily placed her hand on her father's shoulder and took the chair next to him. "It's ok, Dad. I know you didn't mean it. You've been through a lot, we all have with mum dying and my divorce and… Daddy… I'm pregnant!"

Harry jerked his head up, looking over at his daughter. He cupped her face with his hands, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. His heart was thumping against his chest. _He couldn't believe it, his little girl was pregnant and alone, he had to let her stay now, _hethought.

"You can stay here as long as you need," he told her. _Really, he actually needed her more than he thought. _

Lily smiled, holding his hand on her cheek. "Thank you." Lily took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes. Standing up, she went to the sink to throw water on her face.

Harry watched after her. He was proud of the strong woman she'd grown to be. He remembered the first time Andrew had left a bruise on her face. Harry'd wanted to kill him, but Lily had dealt with it on her own. Now she was divorcing the bastard and starting her life over. Even now, knowing that she was pregnant, it didn't seem as if she has any intention of going back. She was unwavering, just like her mother. She'd stood by Andrew's side for as long as she could before she'd realized she needed to go. Enough was enough. Ginny herself had been pleased with the news, and Harry had been proud of his daughter. However, Harry could remember when Lily wasn't so strong, when he and Ginny had thought she wouldn't even make it through the night.

"Harry! The baby is coming, wake up!" Harry could hear her breathing hard and fast as he moved to get out of bed. "Oooh, no, no, no, we are not going to make it to the hospital. Harry, help me!"

"Ok, I'm getting up, I am right here, let me hail for a healer. Lie down." Harry'd helped Ginny onto the bed before he ran down the stairs, throwing a bathrobe on.

Harry'd run to the fireplace, tucking his head inside, and he'd quietly called for a healer to avoid waking his sons. However, there hadn't been a soul in sight. Harry could hear Ginny upstairs, and a sense of dread came over him. _Something was wrong, _he thought. He could feel the panic in her cries, he could tell she was trying to muffle them to avoid waking the other two children in the home. Harry ran for the kitchen, fumbling through their potions cabinet- he gathered supplies.

Ginny's screams echoed through the house, "HAAARRY, HAAARRY, where are you?" she'd yelled out. "Harry, something is wrong! Something is wrong with the baby," she'd told him as he'd come rushing into the bedroom and setting the supplies down next to the bed. Ginny was trying to remove her clothes as she laid in the bed drenched in sweat. Her hair had been matted to her head, her breathing had been labored and shallow, and her face had been bone white.

Harry'd moved to help her, but she'd lurched, folding herself in half and holding her stomach before she'd screamed again. This time, Ginny's screams were accompanied with the screams of their sons.

Harry'd removed her nightgown as quickly as possible, trying to steady his own breathing. He could hear his sons crying for their mother. He could not afford to panic, not now, and Merlin knew be rarely ever did, but he felt the panic beginning to rise none-the-less and tried to suppress it. Grabbing ahold of his wand, Harry produced his patronus. A large silver stag burst from his wand, dancing about the room then stopping before him as Ginny tried to push herself up into a sitting position.

Pointing his wand at the stag, Harry exclaimed, "Ginny is in labor, something is not right, please come quickly." With a flick of his wand, Harry'd sent the the silver stag into the night.

By the the time his patronus was answered, little Lily had already made her appearance into the world. Ginny laid on the bed with the bundle in her arms, and Harry was sitting next to her, holding his wife and infant daughter. Lily hadn't moved or made a noise.

The healer strode across the room towards them. "Let me see her," she told them, taking Lily from them. They both struggled to let her have their baby. Ginny'd looked at Harry with puffy red eyes. "Harry, why isn't she crying?"

Harry'd shaken his head, "I don't know, I wish I knew." He was terrified, scared for his little daughter's life. He'd held onto Ginny, not knowing what else to do.

Ginny'd held him as tightly as she could, but her grasp was very weak. She had no energy. She and Harry looked towards the healer with bated breath as she'd gone to work on Lily in the bassinet. The room had been so silent you could hear a pin drop. Ron and Hermione had showed up with the healer and were sitting on the other side of the room holding James and Albus in their laps. Nobody'd moved a muscle.

Finally- little Lily Luna's cries broke through the silence, echoing through the halls of the Potter home. Sighs of relief had swept through the room as the healer brought the screaming child to her parents bed and placed her in the arms of her mother. Harry and Ginny had both looked down at their daughter, relieved and in awe. It was that day they'd both sworn they'd never have another.

Harry and Lily were elbows-deep in paperwork at the kitchen table. Harry was laughing at the stories his daughter was telling him while explaining to her what needed to be done. "Remember Lily, you have to put down everything he has ever done to you. Don't leave anything out. It will go over better for you in court."

Lily'd trembled a bit as she wrote out the details of her divorce. "It's really hard, going through all this. I really needed you here dad."

Harry placed his hand on his daughter's and squeezed it. "I want to be here for you in any way I can," he told her. "Is there property between the two of you?"

"Nothing beside the house." Lily scrunched her nose. "He can have it, I am not fighting him for it. He doesn't know about the baby either, not that he would care anyway." She stopped writing and massaged her hand. She thought for a moment, then looking at her father before adding, "He _does_ want that diamond necklace, though."

"The one he bought you for Valentine's Day?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Yep, told me he needs the money and we're split anyways, so…" Lily shrugged

Harry sat back in his chair. "Cheap bastard, he bought that as a gift for you."

"Ya well..." Lily sighed, stretching out her legs. "It held no meaning for me anyway, his mummy got it for him," she said mockingly. "I feel like it lacked something special. I never really wore it," she explained. "I would have liked for us to have a tradition of sorts, our own little thing that showed our love for one another in our own special way. Like you and mum did." Lily yawned and stretched again. "Sadly, it wasn't love, though," she added, looking extremely unhappy.

Harry pursed his lips. "How about we take a break from all this and I will make you some lunch." He patted Lily on the head before standing and walking to the icebox.

"I s'pose that would be nice." Lily moved from her own chair. "I'll make us some tea, then."

The day ticked by slowly as Harry gathered up ingredients from the ice box for his and Lily's lunch. Lily had found her way into the living room with a cup of tea and was now sitting in his favorite chair by the fireplace. Harry chuckled to himself. She took after her mother in many ways, in more ways than she cared to even admit. Harry placed two pieces of chicken breast into a pan with a little oil and cut up the ingredients for a salad.

Harry found his mind wandering as he went about making lunch. It was a week before Valentine's Day, and Harry found himself thinking about his and Ginny's tradition and how it had come to be.

It had been their first Valentine's Day together after the war. After not seeing Ginny for months and still not knowing what they were, they were both trying to heal in the aftermath of the war. Now, nine months later, they were both busy Ginny with school and Harry with work. He found his way into Hogsmeade to surprise her, his stomach twisted into knots and his throat dry. _What if she didn't want to see him? It was Valentine's Day, maybe she had plans, and are we even… _Harry broke his train of thought, he didn't even think about that. Neither of them had spoken much in several months, and there was nothing to suggest they had anything together anymore.

Harry's stomach sank. He missed her. He wanted to see her and bring her something that showed he was thinking about her. Harry looked down at the single pink rose in his hand. _I brought her a lame gift. I bet that the other guy she was undoubtedly seeing bought her a dozen red roses with a dozen heart-shaped chocolates. _Harry shook the thought from his head. That didn't seem like Ginny at all to him, but what did he know? Maybe she was different. They'd hardly talked, after all.

"Harry?" a soft voice drifted to him. He looked up, still holding the rose in his hand. Ginny was standing just outside the gate of Hogwarts, a shocked expression on her face, her hand pressed to her chest. "It really _is_ you!" She cried as she began to run to him. As soon as she reached him, she flung her arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder. "I didn't think you would forgive me for avoiding you all these months. I didn't want you near me, I was too scared and I was hurt," she explained. She pulled her head back, looking him in the face. "And just when I was thinking I needed you, you came." She pressed a kiss to his lips. "I missed you," she whispered.

Harry was stunned. He didn't know what to think. He missed her too. He had hoped that she would be pleased to see him, but he wasn't expecting this. Pulling away from her slightly, Harry handed her the pink rose. "It's not much, but it made me think of you," he told her. "I am sorry too," he added, moving a strand of hair from her face.

"I love it!" She smiled, kissing him a again.

The following year on Valentine's Day, Ginny had come to the Auror's Office and with her- a hybrid green rose, just for him. Harry could hear the smirks and muffled laughter in the room, but he didn't pay it any mind. He loved it and he loved her. Every year on Valentine's, Harry and Ginny took turns bringing each other a single rose in every color except for red.

Harry suddenly felt a cold chill overcome him. He froze on the spot, listening as the entire kitchen was lost in darkness. He could smell her rot before he heard her rattled breath in his ear. Harry could hear the sound of petals being ripped from a flower, her raspy voice whispering, "He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me." A lump caught in Harry's throat. Breathing fast, he gripped the stove, causing the knuckles on his fingers to turn white. The demon sucked in her breath and shrieked, "HE LOVES ME NOT!"

As the darkness dissipated, Harry stumbled, nearly falling into the stove. His chest was hurting and he he was having trouble breathing. Lily came running into the kitchen.

"Daddy, are you ok?" She grabbed ahold of him and guided him towards a chair.

Harry's face was ghost white. Hehe was shivering. "I I I… I seen… I think, oh Merlin, Lily, I think I am having a heart attack." Harry grabbed his chest as Lily ran to the fireplace and shouted into it. It didn't take the healer long before she appeared. She took a potion from her apron and placed a drop under Harry's tongue.

"You have a weak heart Mr. Potter, you know this. You need to not exert yourself so much," the healer told him, guiding him up the stairs to his bed. "Your father needs to rest now." The healer handed Lily a vial."Make sure he takes this in a few hours."

Harry just laid there, looking at the ceiling, not saying a word,not moving. He didn't even look at his daughter. He'd never told any of his children about his condition. He couldn't even bear to tell them about their mother, or at least how she'd died and why. He had blamed himself these past few years. Every year he would go to Ginny's grave and lay a rose to keep up with their tradition. Every year, Harry would cry and tell her how sorry he was.

"When were you going to tell us?" Lily asked in a low voice. She was sitting next to him in a rocking chair, still holding the vial in her hand.

Tears welled in Harry's eyes and fell hot down his cheeks. He was ashamed, he felt weak. Harry'd had to quit his job after his diagnosis. Ginny had worried that he would have an attack in his office or in the field and no one would be there to help him. The day Harry found out about his heart condition, was the day Ginny had told him she was pregnant again for the fourth time...and she was terrified.

"I didn't want to tell anyone, I felt ashamed… I-"

Lily cut him off. "Dad, you're always keeping things inside. Never telling anyone anything. You never ask for help." She took a deep breath,set the vial down on the bedside table, and moved to sit next to him on the bed. "That's one of the things that got to Mum a lot," Lily told him gazing out the window. "She wanted to help you, she… "

"It wasn't her job to save me!" Harry interrupted

Lily snapped her head towards him. She was angry now. "No! Of course not. She didn't even think of it that way." Lily began to cry. "It was because she loved you." Lily tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. "IT WAS BECAUSE SHE LOVED YOU!" Lily began to sob as Harry pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he sobbed.

Lily pulled away from him, cupping his face with her hands. Her eyes were puffy and red. "Tell me, what happened, I want the truth."

Harry nodded and his mind began to wander to the day Ginny had died, the day after Valentine's.

Harry had woken well before the sun had risen that morning. He'd made sure to move from the bed quietly so as not to wake Ginny. Pulling on his jacket, he'd crept out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Harry'd stumbled his way into the kitchen. He had planned to make her a special breakfast that morning since they hadn't gotten to celebrate the day before. The red rose Harry had given her sat in the window sill, basking in the sunlight that shone through the window.

Harry hummed as he'd busied himself with making pancakes shaped like hearts, bacon, sausage, eggs sunny side up and freshly-squeezed orange juice. As soon as it was finished, he'd arranged it neatly on a tray and began finding his way back up the stairs to their bedroom.

Upon the second landing, Harry had felt a dull pain deep in his chest, and he'd begun to feel fatigued. He'd hardly been able to lift his foot to the next step. The dull pain had begun to fester, and Harry's vision had grown blurry as he'd collapsed with a crash onto the landing. He could hear Ginny screaming, pleading for help. He'd tried to reach her, to yell out for her, but he'd fallen unconscious on the stairs.

"I woke up three days later, in the hospital. They explained to me that your mother had passed away. That's why she was scream…" Harry squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears, but they came flooding down his cheeks. "I tried to reach her." Harry sunk down into the bed, eyes droopy. "I failed her," he added faintly as he began to drift off to sleep. "And your unborn brother."

When Harry woke several hours later, he could feel Ginny's hair brushing his face, her hot breath on his neck. She trailed her hand from his chest down to his dick and began stroking it. Harry moaned as she began to nibble on his ear. "Harry," she breathed. "Wake, up love." She trailed her tongue up his cheek to his ear. She stuck it in his ear, and when she did, she squeezed his dick hard. Harry screamed and his blood turned cold as ice ran through his veins.

Ginny began to laugh maniacally as she stuck her tongue further into Harry's ear, twisting his dick and balls. Harry groaned in pain, scrunching his face. _When was this going to end? _He thought. "Ginny, dear Merlin, please stop."

"I want you to feel what I felt," she whispered hoarsely. "Feel the pain Harry Potter, feel it." She twisted his balls further, clenching her mouth in a twisted smile. She peeled back her lips, unhinged her jaw and shrieked like a banshee in his ear before disappearing once more.

Harry didn't know how much more of this he could take. _It's not real, it can't be real._ He thought, trying to reassure himself. Harry moved from the bed. He was in a immense amount of pain and his throat was very dry. He stumbled into the corridor outside his bedroom. It was pitch black in his home. Harry could see nothing but the glowing eyes of portraits on the walls following him as he descended down the wind blew hard, rattling windows and moaning through trees. The Floor creaked with each step he took. Harry felt a sense of dread...was she back, or had she never left?

"She's not real," he told himself as he found his way into the kitchen and to the sink for a glass of water. The wind burst the kitchen window open and he heard something fall and shatter on the floor. Harry could sense that Ginny was standing behind him. _No, no, no. It wasn't her, it couldn't be her. Ginny loved him, why would she hate him, why was she haunting him?_

"Haaaarrry Pooottter." she whispered with the wind now bustling through the kitchen.

Harry tried to steady himself. He didn't dare look at her. He couldn't bear it. That horrible, disgusting face was not that of the woman he loved. No, not at all. "What do you want from me?" he asked with a surprisingly steady voice.

"You weren't there, Harry. You left me alone to die," she cried. "You weren't there, when I needed you most." She walked closer to him. There was anger in her voice, but he could sense her pain even if he hadn't faced her.

"I'm sorry!" he said, trembling. "I wanted to be there, Ginny. I tried. It's all my fault, if my heart weren't so weak…" he choked. He turned to face her then, and there, basking in a bright light, was the true face of his wife. There was sadness and remorse in her eyes as she reached for his face.

"Your heart failed," she said softly, stroking his face.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head, nodding.

Ginny ran her fingers up into Harry's hair, pulling him closer to her, "No, Harry. I am sorry, I should have known. You have always done everything for me and our children." Her eyes glistened with tears as she pulled him into a deep kiss. After what seemed like a several minutes, she pulled away from him, smiling, and faded into the light. Left in her place was a single red rose. This year, it was her turn to give it. Harry kneeled down, picked up the rose and held it against his chest above his heart. And it was there in the kitchen, in that exact position, that his daughter found him when she woke up later that morning.


End file.
